Rusty Tussock Moth

Rusty Tussock Moth

Orgyia antiqua

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

15 Verified sightings at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve From 2019 to 2026
232 In all 13 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rusty Tussock Moth

Orgyia antiqua, the rusty tussock moth or vapourer, is a moth in the family Erebidae. O. antiqua is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions. The species is not on the IUCN (2007) Red List; and in the UK is considered a common resident.

In the UK, O. antiqua may be encountered in a variety of shrub-based habitats, including gardens, parks, open woodland, fens, hedgerows, heaths, and moors. A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth typically has orange- to red-brown (ochreous red and dark brown) wings; each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. It has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae. The wingspan measures between 35 and 38 mm. The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless; it is light grey-brown (ochreous grey), has "shortly bipectinate" antennae, and a swollen abdomen. The compound eyes of the two sexes differ not only with regard to their size, number of facets and internal organization and ultrastructure, but also with regard to their sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
2 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
9 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
11 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
13 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
5 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
6 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Dublin 🇮🇪 Ireland
~10%
8 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
9 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
10 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rusty Tussock Moth in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty Tussock Moth sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 107 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rusty Tussock Moth in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

August

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty Tussock Moth in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. That is one of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain against 470 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Rusty Tussock Moth?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rusty Tussock Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Pacific Rim National Park Reserve the best place to see a Rusty Tussock Moth?

4th of 13

Of the 13 parks where we can rate Rusty Tussock Moth sightings, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Denali National Park (United States, about 10%) and Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Rusty Tussock Moth live in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Same family: Erebidae

The closest relatives of the Rusty Tussock Moth that you can see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Spotted Tussock Moth (about 20%), Virginian Tiger Moth (about 10%) and Silver-Spotted Tiger Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Rusty Tussock Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rusty Tussock Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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